Finding Her Way
by LilyMoreno
Summary: What if Bella and Jacob got married before she met Edward? And what if Edward got turned in this century and was a sports celebrity? How will Bella and Edward fulfill their love with Jacob in between?
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Bella, baby, you have to eat," Jacob coaxed as he proffered a spoonful of chicken soup. Bella turned away from him, unable to bear the sight of him being so normal. She just wanted to sleep, and wake up without this agonizing pain of knowing that their baby was dead.

Other people would say that the baby was just a blob at this time, but she loved it the moment she learned of its' existence. Funny how your world could revolve around somebody who wasn't even born yet. Their marriage even got moved ahead because of it, but they didn't mind as the baby completed their love.

And now the baby's gone. Bella felt as if a black hole had opened up and swallowed her whole, and she didn't know how to get out. She didn't even know if she wanted to. She just wanted to sleep, and not wake up. Suddenly living was such a chore, and being in this hospital bed was preferable to getting up and facing each day without her baby.

She couldn't understand how the world could go on without pausing and mourning the small life she carried for almost five months. She couldn't see beyond the pain and reach out to Jacob, whom she knew was hurting as well.

Jacob looked silently at Bella, feeling both helpless and useless. He had vowed to love and cherish her, but he didn't know how to alleviate her pain. Losing their baby had him unmanned, almost bringing him to his knees in pain, but he knew he had to be strong for Bella's sake.

"Bella, I need to leave now, but I'll be back tomorrow. In the meantime, just rest, and try to eat, okay?" He turned and left quietly, knowing he would not be getting any reply.

Edward

He won. For the first time in his life, he was in a Grand Slam finals. Not any Grand Slam, but the Wimbledon Championships. He felt like crying even though he hadn't even won the Championships yet. Edward knew he had it in him to win tennis' most hallowed trophy, and the detractors who said he was just another pretty boy who couldn't handle the talent god gave him will eat their words. His head was screwed on properly, thank you, and he'll prove them wrong come Sunday.

Edward knew that sometimes he let the good life interfere with his game, but he had his priorities straight now. He came so close with the previous two Grand Slams just cruising on talent alone. His losses in two semifinals jolted him, and for the first time in his life, his attention narrowed enough for him to concentrate solely on a goal: winning Wimbledon.

Ready-made excuses were set aside, his entourage culled from having bimbos to just having his physio and hitting partner, and practice sessions upped in intensity. He was determined to win them all, and now he has the chance to do so.

The media were in a frenzy at the change they sensed in him. First they remarked on the lack of supermodels usually present in his box during matches, then they noticed that he won more efficiently. They joked that the rise in his game corresponded to the drop in his sex appeal. Edward couldn't care less. His looks were enough to land anybody he wanted, he didn't need to flaunt his wealth or his tennis ranking to do so. Coupled with his innate talent, Edward was spoiled by the world around him.

Whistling in happiness as he unlocked his car, a sudden booming sound startled him along with numbness in his chest. He looked down and saw blood spurting out and making a mess on the drivers' seat. He couldn't make sense of what was happening, and why he couldn't make his body move. He clutched the opened car door but his hands slipped and he stumbled then went down. He heard more than he saw somebody shout and run toward him.

The last thing he felt was a burning pain from somebody biting him.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Three years later

Bella was taking out the trash that afternoon when a bright red sports car careened into the driveway of the house next door, right next to the "For Sale" sign. The first she saw of him was his long legs emerging from the low-slung driver's seat. Next was his rock-hard body accentuated by a close-fitting blue shirt which stretched tautly around his biceps. What knocked her for six was his face. He had blue blue eyes that blazed across the distance between them and just melted her into a puddle. Those eyes fit his perfectly symmetrical and chiseled features. He looked so handsome he somehow didn't look real.

She blinked a few times just to make sure her eyes were not deceiving her. It was a few seconds before she realized that the _god_ was speaking to her. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

The _god_ looked her over and gave a little smirk, and she felt as if somehow it was beneath him to talk to a mere mortal like her. Moreover, a mortal who was currently wearing flannel pyjamas in the middle of the afternoon and an oversized shirt she borrowed from Jacob. "I said have you seen the realtor around here somewhere? We were supposed to meet at four."

"I'm sorry, I don't see any strange cars anywhere, except for yours. Why don't you call them?" She added helpfully.

"My phone died out on me. Would it be okay if I used your phone?"

"That's okay with me, of course. Come on in, I'll just, uh, get rid of these," she indicated her trash bags. He nodded and indicated for her to lead the way. She kept on stealing glances at him from under her lashes, afraid of being caught staring. God, she was so immature, she thought to herself, being captivated by looks. And here she was a married woman of three years. Granted, she was only twenty-one, but still.

They entered the house and Bella was thankful that she always kept it thoroughly clean, and she even had those reed-perfume thingies so it smells nice. "The phone is in the kitchen," she pointed to the contraption, "just holler after you're done." She went to the backyard just to give him privacy and to give her time to compose herself.

She hoped he would buy the house and move in next door. Somehow, he looked familiar, maybe it was those male-model looks but then again, he didn't seem ordinarily good-looking. She laughed at herself when she realized she was brooding over some beefcake, but he somehow made life come into focus for her, the way it hadn't over the last three years.

She felt suddenly alive and young and carefree, as if the darkness that had inhabited her world for so long had lifted. It was thanks to this man, and she didn't even know his name.

Her reverie was interrupted by his voice calling out to her. "Miss? I've finished with the phone." Bella went to the kitchen to find him looking around the place. "Thanks, would this cover the bill?" He pulled out a ten dollar bill and held it out to her.

"No, that's okay. If you're moving in next door, consider that my first neighborly act," Bella refused with a smile. "It's drizzling outside, you can stay here if you're waiting for the realtor." The sound of a car door slamming had them both looking outside. A gorgeous long-legged blonde was walking up the next door's path.

"That looks like her. Thanks again for your help," he said with barely a smile and hurriedly walked out the door, as if he couldn't wait to be rid of her.

Bella felt deflated after he left. It seemed like he sucked out all the oxygen from the room when he went out the door. She shouldn't feel this way, she knew, but a little crush would harm no one, she told herself.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

He was moving in. The _god _who had deigned to come to this earth and use her phone was moving in next door. Bella could see the boxes being unloaded on his lawn and the _god_ helping offload it. She just hoped he was the type who liked to mow his lawn with his shirt off. He looked like there should be a spotlight trained on him and music with a heavy beat accompany each of his steps, which would be in slow-mo, of course. He was that magnetic.

Jacob had a ripped bod, but he was put to shame by this epitome of masculinity. Jacob started training in mixed martial arts and the results showed in his physique. The thought of Jacob sobered up her fancy thoughts. This had her brooding at the emotional wasteland their lives had become. The ghost of their dead baby was still present between them, and Bella still felt like an automaton most of the time. She went through the motions, but shied away from anything emotionally deeper that would rip the scabs from her wounds and have it bleeding again.

Jacob at least had his work and his hobby, she was left with nothing. And now here was this gorgeous specimen who made her feel lighthearted and alive, and she would take this feeling and nurture it. Not to do so would mean going back to the emptiness that her life had been for three long years. Her husband had tried to coax her out of her despondency, but she didn't know how to respond to him when all she wanted was to forget everything. At the same time, she didn't want to forget that her baby once existed, and that for five months, that baby had been the most precious being in their lives.

Bella shook off her dejection. She vowed to herself that she will find happiness again. Being happy did not mean that she was betraying the memory of her child. It just meant that she was still alive, and she needed to feel in order to fully live. She looked out her window and she embraced the thrill of just looking at her neighbor. She wondered why he moved here in such a modest suburb when he looked to be fabulously wealthy, judging from the cars that now lined his opened garage.

Edward could see that his delectable neighbor was taking a peek at the goings-on in his new house. She really was a cute little thing, with her semi-permanent stutter and her curvy body, not to mention her angelic face. She was not his type, though. He usually went for the leggy, busty blonde supermodel type. She had the bust thing right, but nothing else. Granted, she had long legs for her height, which was diminutive. He suspected she would be the kind of female who would demand emotional ties and commitment, something he was not able to provide, not with the demons still driving him. He preferred to just play around with women who knew the score, who would not be upset when he broke it off.

Commitment is a funny word when you can live forever. You can be faithful and loyal, but only as long as your loved one lives, and then you need to go on. Edward couldn't sanction the other option, turning your loved one into a monster. He still couldn't move forward with what he had become, from somebody with a goal, to someone who does not have any aim in life, except to destroy lives. He had chosen to alienate himself from his family, from Carlisle and the rest, because he couldn't meet them in the eye and be certain that he does not hate who they are, and who he is.

It does not mean he'll be abandoning his family, he just needs to sort himself out, come to grips with his new life. His fame made it impossible for him to totally disappear, but at least the furor over the events of three years ago have died down, and even the most rabid fan had left him alone after he gave them nothing. He refused to give interviews, instructed his agent to close down all his social media accounts, and just generally disappeared from public. Adoration can be killed if you don't feed it.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

"Have you seen the new neighbor?" Bella jumped when Jacob suddenly made this remark. They were having dinner and had had a few minutes of comfortable silence.

Thankfully, Jacob hadn't seen her nervy reaction to his question. "I've actually met him, but we haven't really been introduced. He asked to use the phone when he was meeting with the realtor."

"I saw one of his cars. Boy, was it a beauty. It was a Lamborghini Veneno Roadster. Do you know that it is the most expensive car ever sold in the world?" Bella nodded but she let his voice wash over her, knowing that once he got on his favorite topic, he'll go on and on about expensive cars. It has been just a couple of days since the neighbor moved in, and they haven't had a chance to welcome him to the community.

"So what do you think?" Bella hadn't realized Jacob had asked her something and she was at a loss as to what he wanted her to say.

"What do _you _think?" She prevaricated, hoping that this is the best response.

"I think you should bake those yummy cupcakes of yours and give him some. Let's go ahead, have a party, and invite him over."

"I don't think he's the cupcake type. But I'll bake some for him," she continued when Jacob glared at her remark. Bella thought that Jacob wanted her to get closer to the man so he could quiz their new neighbor about his cars and their performance.

What she didn't tell him was that the guy looked to be very aloof. She smiled and said hi to him yesterday but he only gave her a curt nod and continued on. The smile froze on her face and she felt suddenly abashed at her eagerness to engage this stranger. Bella gave herself a stern talking to, vowing she would just look and never get close. Her husband had a different idea, though, and he wanted her to invite pretty boy to a party.

"So when do you want to hold this party?" She asked Jacob and they ironed out details and just decided on a cocktail party to make it easy for everybody.

Bella nervously smoothed out her short denim skirt, more to dry her damp palms than to straighten it out. Taking a deep breath, she took the decorative canister filled with cupcakes and went to beard the lion in his den. Before she could knock on the door, though, it opened wide to reveal a torso to rival Michelangelo's David. _Oh, my goodness_. She went goggle-eyed and her eyes feasted on the hard planes and dips that just begged to be licked.

"Did you want something?" Mortified that she'd been caught staring, she wordlessly handed him the canister. "What's this?"

"That's uh, I mean, hi, uh welcome to our community. I'm Bella, by the way. You know, we live in the house next door?" _Great job, Bella, he'll think you're a freak_.

"Edward," he shook her extended hand. Her arms had goosebumps at the feel of callouses lining his masculine hand, making her drop it unceremoniously in case he noticed her reaction.

"My husband and I are having a party this Saturday and we wanted to you come so you can meet the rest of the people here." Taking a step back at the ferocity of his expression, she added, "It'll be fun."

"I don't think it will be a great idea," his voice came as a low growl, which made her insides melt, and at the same time deflated her perky mood when his words sank in. "But I'll come. Can I bring a partner?"

"Yes, of course. Come around six-ish, okay?" She gave a carefree wave, in contrast to her plummeting spirits at the thought that he has a "partner" that he wanted to bring. A person that hot will not be alone for any long period of time.

Edward watched her walk away, senses dulled at the news that she was already married. He had been resolved to stay the hell away from her anyway, but to think that a man already has the right to call her his own is repugnant to him. His whole being rebelled at the thought of her sharing another man's life. It was funny how he already perceived her as his, even though they've barely interacted.

Attending a party was the last thing he should be doing, given his past fame, but her dejected air made him change his mind. He didn't want to be the cause of her unhappiness, so he agreed. He'll just take Rosalie with him, her unapproachable blond ice-princess look will help keep people at bay. He hoped.


End file.
